Find the top rated horseback riding trails in West Virginia, whether you're looking for an easy short horseback riding trail or a long horseback riding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a horseback riding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Had a great time. Went from Shinnston to almost Monongah. Very beautiful and pretty easy ride. There is 2 parking lots at the beginning of the trail in Shinnston. There is a sign where you turn in to them.
Went there with a friend on a perfect fall day & enjoyed it. A bicyclist came upon us fast from behind & nearly ran us over. So be careful.
this trails amazing, i saw someone complain that they didn't like the new pavement. i can't understand why. it's flawless it's fast it dries fast, idk i love it, it connects to the Montour trail which is crushed limestone the whole way if u really hate pavement. i hate riding roads around here, it's literally a death wish and i don't even like sharing the roads with bikes when I'm driving. this trail is like riding a road with out any cars to worry about.
Stay within lost creek and fire house and you will enjoy your walk. Between firehouse and Cemetery is pretty bad, barriers removed that would end your day on a bike if you caught one. They protrude about 5" up. Lots and lots of used tires and trash past firehouse also.
I am rating this based on my experience only. Riding mountain bikes..started at the end of the trail, around mile 70 went about 8 miles in and turned around.
The trail started out very muddy and then after that we were riding mostly on grass, although the ground was hard as if it was previously paved so it wasnt an impossible pedal. Not very scenic in the parts I saw, riding mostly alongside a highway and near homes.
I would not recommend this trail
We biked this in early October. Parked in Monongah at the lot next to City Hall. The trail is nicely paved except for less than three miles at the southern end in Shinnston. DO NOT try to park at the Mary Lou Retton park shown at the North end of the map. The loop shown on the map is a rural residential area with very narrow roads and you have to go down a short, steep dirt hill to get to the real trail. I've uploaded pictures of the trail's sign, which shows several parking areas along the trail.
We got a wonderful work-out on this trail, but the hills were not overly difficult. we biked late afternoon/evening in October. We started on the Martinsburg end, which is definitely hillier that the east end. We stopped for coffee at the Black Dog on the way back. It was a perfect stopping place, with nice bathrooms.
From hundreds of cars to the overhead planes landing at a nearby airport, this trail was full of urban noise. The challenging hills, the asphalt trail and the geocaches were a plus but, for me, prefer a trail more serene.
I have ridden this path several times. There are many hills and some come straight down to a stop to cross the road. After which, you then pedal straight up hill. However, the path is quite do-able. There are two treats for you on this ride - 1) a stop at Black Dog Coffee and at the Martinsburg end, you can cross the highway (carefully) to find the Berkeley County Human Society and visit with the pooches! Enjoy and cycle safe!
This is our local rail trail, so we use it because it is convenient for biking with the family. We have covered from North Bend State Park to the Eastern Terminus near Wolf Summit on hybrid bikes and a trailer for our two small children.
The Good: The section between Ellenboro and North Bend State Park is beautiful! Surface is good, very scenic, a joyous experience! From Central Station to Smithburg has been re-surfaced this year, and is also very nice. Central Station Tunnel is now well surfaced and passable. Tunnels in general are really cool! The kids get a kick out of them. I like the fact that there is little concern with road traffic, especially with the children in tow.
The Bad: While the section b/w Ellenboro and North Bend State Park is great, it is also frequented by horses. With horses comes manure...that is sometimes impossible to dodge. Trail surface around Central Station is in progress (uneven, industrial gravel, etc). Trail surface east of Smithburg is fair until you get past the Long Run Tunnell, and then things get iffy quickly. The surface between Long Run Rd and West Salem is non-existent in places, there is a large slip between miles 61-63. The trail through that section has a slight uphill grade, which we definitely felt while pulling a trailer and a tag-along bike through tall grass and mud. The trail surface is also horrible in places, muddy, lots of rocks and debris, etc from East Salem to the Eastern terminus in Wolf Summit. Plan accordingly.
We will keep riding this trail because it is local. It's a great opportunity to get our nephews out and to explore, have adventures, etc. There is an opportunity for some school projects down the road based on our adventures. However, we also look forward to getting somewhere with some asphalt or finer crushed rock as pulling our kids in the trailer is difficult on the current surfaces of certain areas.
I recently rode from the Harmon Creek starting point in Weirton, WV to just east of Oakdale, PA, a 50 mile round trip. The trail is crushed limestone for just under 4 miles from Weirton to the Pennsylvania state line, where Washington County has recently competed blacktopping their section of the trail. There were a few muddy ruts on the unpaved West Virginia section but nothing terrible. The new blacktop was welcome, as it is a slight uphill grade for the first 10 miles towards Burghettstown, PA. The paving continues the length of the Washington County section, a distance of 17.5 miles. The trail continues east towards Walkers Mill as crushed limestone, but in much better condition than the West Virginia side, which seems likely to continue deteriorating unless Hancock County takes some pride in its section.
It was a beautiful day and a beautiful ride. I plan to do it more often now that it has additional paving.
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